Get Your Fix: Album Reviews by the CoolJunkie Staff

January 22, 2009 4:17 PM
by The CoolJunkie Staff

The JeanMarie - Annie Jump Cannon
by: Marcos Colón

It’s a great compliment to any band when you can’t pinpoint their sound. When labels like ‘indie’, ‘pop’ and ‘rock’ get merged together and are used for just about any new music that’s being released, it’s a sad representation of the music and has music fans throwing bands like The Killers and Ra Ra Riot in the same pile (If this refers to you, please stop reading and go make yourself a sandwich). So for this sake, I’m going to skip the terminology and introduce Annie Jump Cannon, the first full-length release by Miami’s The JeanMarie. It’s actually hard to put your finger on the sound that these guys produce, but to be safe, let’s just say it’s good old dancing fun through and through.

Being a band or musician from Miami, you know that the crowd here loves to move, so you have to be prepared to make them move. The JeanMarie is highly aware of this, cranking out dance-along gems like Vampires Pt. 2, Down By Savnnah and the minute-long Who^Booty, a track that conjures sounds of Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture. Annie Jump Cannon is a beautifully crafted collection of tracks that is executed with so much precision, it’s hard to believe this is The JeanMarie’s first full-length effort. Full of jolting energy and fire and brimstone danceable melodies, it’s sure to leave the listener wanting more.

Extremely impressive for the South Florida boys, Annie Jump Cannon could make The Jean Marie the next big band out of Miami. Their consistent and stellar live performances, along with the release of this album, is sure to speed up the process of the blossoming of the live music scene here.

Click here to hear more from The JeanMarie.

Benny Benassi - Toolroom Knights
by: Michael Maryanoff

Making a long running and quality mix CD series isn’t an easy endeavor. Sure, the labels that accomplish it make it look easy, but that’s because they don’t compromise in quality when seeking DJs to make mix compilations. Renaissance picks the talent so well that they don’t even bother to give the DJs any guidelines. But one label whose CDs I always love to see coming across my desk are adorned with the Toolroom label. Time after time, whether it be Dave Spoon or Mark Knight, I haven’t had a CD come across my desk which hasn’t caused me to make a mad dash to download the songs featured on it.

What I relish about the Toolroom Knights mix series is that they usually offer songs that are new and fresh. I wish I could say the same about this new installment, mixed by Benny Bennassi, but I can’t. What makes a DJ truly standout is their ability to adapt. If you were to hear Steve Lawler spin six years ago, and hear a set from him now, it would be like hearing a completely different DJ. But it seems like ever since Satisfaction hit the charts, Benassi has closed up shop and called it a day, resigning to churn out the same electro and progressive sound he’s been playing all along.

It isn’t that this CD is bad - it isn’t insufferable – it just falls narrow in scope and stagnant, full of yawn-inducing electro house tracks. There are a few good tracks, such as Popof’s remix of Sunglasses at Night, but for the most part it doesn’t break any molds.

Click here to hear more from Benny Benassi.

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
by: Marcos Colón

From the start of the opening track, The Mountain, it’s clearly evident that Erika Wennerstrom’s vocals are no joke. Like a modern day Janis Joplin, with even more soul in her voice, Wennerstrom fronts Heartless Bastards, a trio hailing from Dayton, Ohio, and they’re third release titled The Mountain, packs as much of a punch as a punk band from LA. With melodies resembling The Black Keys, Early in the Morning, and even the Kings of Leon, Sway, Heartless Bastards are set to get the attention of the masses.

The Mountain is highlighted by the melodic drama primarily provided by Wennerstrom’s pipes and lyrics, but bassist Jesse Ebaugh and drummer Dave Colvin seem to be the backbone behind the sound, cranking out blasts of rhythm that could get a quadriplegic’s foot tapping. Tracks like Early in the Morning and Wide Awake, both on opposite ends of the musical spectrum, exemplify the range and talents of the trio.

Although Stairs and Elevators and All This Time haven’t gotten the widespread appeal that Heartless Bastards wanted, The Mountain seems like a fresh start that sure to point their successes in a new direction. This album is a great buy for fans of The Black Keys and Fleet Foxes. But if you’re not into traditional rock with some salt and peppering of bluegrass picking, I’d stay away from this one.

Click here to hear more from Heartless Bastards.